Over the summer, the Kansas City Chiefs expected to have a full complement of weapons in the wide receiver room. That hasn’t been the case yet in the 2025-26 season, yet they’re figuring out ways to be productive.
With the return of Xavier Worthy from injury, there’s an abundance of talent even as the team awaits Rashee Rice‘s debut after a suspension.
So much so that it’s easy to envision a world where as many as five legitimately talented pass catchers are competing for the ball. Does that pose a challenge?
Andy Reid on Challenges of Talented WR Room: ‘There’s Only One Football’
Head coach Andy Reid acknowledged such. Speaking to the media on Thursday, the winningest coach in franchise history weighed in on quarterback Patrick Mahomes having a multitude of worthy options on offense.
You can only distribute the rock so much.
“I mean, there’s one ball,” Reid said. “The guys know that. As long as you stay humble with it and don’t get that hungry thing where you start wanting it and then don’t play. The guys have done a great job. They’re all good buddies, and they’re kind of pulling for each other. You want to maintain that. That’s a tough thing when you have a number of guys. What’s real is there’s only one football.”
Fortunately for the Chiefs, their players are experienced enough to get that. Aside from Worthy and Rice, the rest of the room has seen and done plenty. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, a former first-round pick, is battle-tested with injuries under his belt and is now settling into a supporting role. The New England Patriots decided that both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton weren’t worth keeping around. The latter is breaking out on a new team.
Entering Week 5, Brown leads the team in targets with 32. Tight end Travis Kelce (22), Thornton (20) and Smith-Schuster (18) are all bunched up closely to round out the top four. If Worthy’s eight-target reintroduction to the lineup and Rice’s early-2024 breakout are any indicators, though, the balance will soon be shifted.
Reid believes Kansas City is prepared for it.
What Will Rice’s Eventual Return Mean for Kansas City’s Offense?
The good news for the Chiefs is help is on the way. Once they complete Monday Night Football’s contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars, there will be just one remaining outing until Rice is eligible to come back. He’s in the building and participating in meetings already. Once he returns to practice, the rest figures to fall into place. Rice can play in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s hard to understate just how solid Rice looked last season before suffering a knee injury. In his first three games, he hauled in 24 passes for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns. Those marks all led the Chiefs, suggesting he was set to pass Kelce as the top option on offense. If Rice is even remotely close to that level of player later this year, the Kansas City offense could be virtually unstoppable.
Heck, it’s already seventh in EPA/play (per SumerSports) despite missing Worthy for a chunk of time. According to rbsdm.com, Mahomes is 10th in EPA/play among all signal-callers. This is with a wild season-opening curveball being thrown his way and one of football’s worst halfback rooms making his life more difficult.
It’s safe to say that any security blanket would help. Reid and Co. are already confident in the group they have. Add Rice into the mix, and you get one heck of a “there’s only one football” problem to solve.
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